What stands out worked out from the figures below

Willington has the most affordable homes ($306k median).

Ayer has the most people working from home (21.6%).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Willington	Ayer
People
Population	5,575Lowest	8,645Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+14.2% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	37.5±7.2Lowest 4% below U.S.	39.2±2.8Highest about the U.S. average
	Ayer and Willington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.8%±4.9Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.3%±3.9Highest U.S.: 22%
	Ayer and Willington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.3%±6.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%	14.5%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Willington and Ayer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	42.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	14.6%±6.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.5%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$91,114±$12kLowest 13% above U.S.	$101,875±$15kHighest 26% above U.S.
	Ayer and Willington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$305,800±$48kLowest 8% below U.S.	$463,800±$29kHighest 39% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,357±$116Lowest 4% below U.S.	$1,415±$180Highest about the U.S. average
	Ayer and Willington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,419Highest 74% above U.S.	$5,057Lowest 62% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	70%±20.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	45.1%±14.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Willington and Ayer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	10.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	69.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1977Highest 3 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the U.S. average	33 minHighest 25% above U.S.
Work from home	10.5%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	21.6%±5.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#104 of 149 in CT	#113 of 282 in MA
School district	Willington School District	Ayer Shirley School District
High school in town	None in town	Ayer Shirley Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	11.5
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	12 photos →

U.S. average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.